Welcome to my space!!! I am so excited to learn about this new technology. Here I am, in the mid point of my life playing with all this fun stuff....kind of scary, but way cool! This has been a long week in the counseling office and it is late Friday night, so I am a bit slow; and I have NEVER used a MAC before, AND I have NEVER played on a lap top like this before. Boy, talk about diving in to a cold pool! But, as you can see, I am non conventional and am willing to try new things.
So, after all these years as a counselor, I'm taking the bold step of branching out in a leadership role. Never thought it was something I wanted to do, but I thought it would be s good opportunity for me down the road a bit. So far, so good....after all, I never would have known what on earth a WIKI is and oh my gosh....how about my pic?!!
Wow! What a great picture, you sure used every possible feature, it's GREAT! Glad we're here to learn about Wikis!
--Amy E.
REFLECTIONS
I think a page like this might be useful for counselors....sometimes students may be uncomfortable with face to face encounters, but have a lot say. Students are so familiar with MySpace...why couldn't a space like this to talk to your counselor be helpful? I am not sure how secure confidential information would be on this type of space...but if it could be made secure, I believe it would be a positive additional communication tool to utilize in the counseling department.
Communicating with students is not the only use...how about a tool for teachers to learn about resources (i.e. the bookmark page) if they have specific questions about a a mental health issue for example?
Would use of a space like this just add yet another layer of electronic communication and lessen the face to face? I always feel that is the down side of using this type of technology to communicate....solves one problem, yet creates another.
I talked to a staff member about the space and he LOVED IT and said he'd USE IT in his classroom!!!!! I guess I'm a real technology guru now eh?!
School Vision Assignment 12/06
All shareholders of ABC High School are committed to:
===Active and engaging learning===
===Developing strong, positive character traits===
===Maintaining a clean, safe and nurturing environment===
Reflection: Fulfilling the Public Purpose of Schooling
Goodlad's analysis of education and the educators role - "that of advancing the public mission of schooling....educating the young for responsible satisfying citizenship..." is timely. His contention that education has moved to a stifling place of raising test scores is evident in my school (even with an extremely high API score and excellent student achievement). Teachers lament often about feeling constricted, rushing to get to the end of the curriculum, not being able to veer to a more creative place, etc. etc. Of particular interest is Goodlad's contention that higher test scores will not in and of themselves create an atmosphere where positive character traits can be sufficiently developed, even though it is expected that the schools provide the experiences for students to do more than perform well on academic tests. In trying to develop an effective Peer Mentoring program at our school, creating a period during the day for students to learn and practice effective counseling/communication techniques and conflict mediation techniques is almost impossible as it "takes away time" from other important academic classes. The budget will not allow for an additional class...one must be eliminated for a new course to be added. The frustration is coupled with a strong desire to change the direction that education is currently headed in, and finding some balance between the "good old days" and accountability, as each have merit. Goodlad echoes this yearning of current educators when he discusses the project promoted by Carl Glickman, in assembling a diverse group of educators and political and business leaders to discuss these pressing issues.
In the readings from the Culture of Teaching and Learning the importance of the social/cultural climate of the school becomes readily apparent. During our WASC self study project teachers, students, administrators, parents, and classified staff all assemble to express their views on the direction of our school. It is interesting to note what is of importance to each group in the context of the value and belief system of the community. As a relatively "new" employee (fifth year) it took all this time for me to learn about the practices and the core values of the school - I obtained this knowledge through stories of the past, by participating in rituals in the school, and learning the shared vision of all stakeholders.
All staff and community members should have the opportunity to dialogue about the goals and mission of the school in context with the values of the community. In our school one of the strongest values is the increased achievement of student learning and the "raising of the bar" on all levels of learning. However, there are many new and unexplored avenues that could potentially be extremely beneficial to the school community. Without focused and effective collaboration and staff development some of these opoprtunities may be missed. And, as Goodlad so eloquently sums up in his article, the primary mission of educators is to instill a "democratic character" in our young. The priority should be in the education of educators who are given the responsibility of this mission and who are dedicated in providing this "moral mission" to our students.
Questions
Who changed my picture?????? And how do I get it back???? I've tried and tried, but can't seem to upload the picture. HELP!!!
Welcome to my space!!! I am so excited to learn about this new technology. Here I am, in the mid point of my life playing with all this fun stuff....kind of scary, but way cool! This has been a long week in the counseling office and it is late Friday night, so I am a bit slow; and I have NEVER used a MAC before, AND I have NEVER played on a lap top like this before. Boy, talk about diving in to a cold pool! But, as you can see, I am non conventional and am willing to try new things.
So, after all these years as a counselor, I'm taking the bold step of branching out in a leadership role. Never thought it was something I wanted to do, but I thought it would be s good opportunity for me down the road a bit. So far, so good....after all, I never would have known what on earth a WIKI is and oh my gosh....how about my pic?!!
Wow! What a great picture, you sure used every possible feature, it's GREAT! Glad we're here to learn about Wikis!
--Amy E.
REFLECTIONS
I think a page like this might be useful for counselors....sometimes students may be uncomfortable with face to face encounters, but have a lot say. Students are so familiar with MySpace...why couldn't a space like this to talk to your counselor be helpful? I am not sure how secure confidential information would be on this type of space...but if it could be made secure, I believe it would be a positive additional communication tool to utilize in the counseling department.
Communicating with students is not the only use...how about a tool for teachers to learn about resources (i.e. the bookmark page) if they have specific questions about a a mental health issue for example?
Would use of a space like this just add yet another layer of electronic communication and lessen the face to face? I always feel that is the down side of using this type of technology to communicate....solves one problem, yet creates another.
I talked to a staff member about the space and he LOVED IT and said he'd USE IT in his classroom!!!!! I guess I'm a real technology guru now eh?!
School Vision Assignment 12/06
All shareholders of ABC High School are committed to:
Reflection: Fulfilling the Public Purpose of Schooling
Goodlad's analysis of education and the educators role - "that of advancing the public mission of schooling....educating the young for responsible satisfying citizenship..." is timely. His contention that education has moved to a stifling place of raising test scores is evident in my school (even with an extremely high API score and excellent student achievement). Teachers lament often about feeling constricted, rushing to get to the end of the curriculum, not being able to veer to a more creative place, etc. etc. Of particular interest is Goodlad's contention that higher test scores will not in and of themselves create an atmosphere where positive character traits can be sufficiently developed, even though it is expected that the schools provide the experiences for students to do more than perform well on academic tests. In trying to develop an effective Peer Mentoring program at our school, creating a period during the day for students to learn and practice effective counseling/communication techniques and conflict mediation techniques is almost impossible as it "takes away time" from other important academic classes. The budget will not allow for an additional class...one must be eliminated for a new course to be added. The frustration is coupled with a strong desire to change the direction that education is currently headed in, and finding some balance between the "good old days" and accountability, as each have merit. Goodlad echoes this yearning of current educators when he discusses the project promoted by Carl Glickman, in assembling a diverse group of educators and political and business leaders to discuss these pressing issues.In the readings from the Culture of Teaching and Learning the importance of the social/cultural climate of the school becomes readily apparent. During our WASC self study project teachers, students, administrators, parents, and classified staff all assemble to express their views on the direction of our school. It is interesting to note what is of importance to each group in the context of the value and belief system of the community. As a relatively "new" employee (fifth year) it took all this time for me to learn about the practices and the core values of the school - I obtained this knowledge through stories of the past, by participating in rituals in the school, and learning the shared vision of all stakeholders.
All staff and community members should have the opportunity to dialogue about the goals and mission of the school in context with the values of the community. In our school one of the strongest values is the increased achievement of student learning and the "raising of the bar" on all levels of learning. However, there are many new and unexplored avenues that could potentially be extremely beneficial to the school community. Without focused and effective collaboration and staff development some of these opoprtunities may be missed. And, as Goodlad so eloquently sums up in his article, the primary mission of educators is to instill a "democratic character" in our young. The priority should be in the education of educators who are given the responsibility of this mission and who are dedicated in providing this "moral mission" to our students.
Questions
Who changed my picture?????? And how do I get it back???? I've tried and tried, but can't seem to upload the picture. HELP!!!
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